History Main / ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOTheStick'' by [[ChaoticEvil Belkar]] and [[LawfulGood Miko]], after Belkar trolls Miko by [[BotheringByTheBookgets getting a restraining order]] which prevents her from using her Detect Evil ability against him. Miko attempts to retaliate by getting a restraining order to prevent Belkar from hurting her horse... which Belkar ignores because, unlike Miko, he only cares about the law when he can exploit it to his benefit.

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* ''Anime/StreetFighterIITheAnimatedMovie'': During his fight with [[KickChick Chun Li]], [[SissyVillain Vega]] makes the mistake of cutting her cheek then taunting her by [[LickingTheBlade licking the blood off his claw.]] Bad decision. She pays him back... ''with interest''. First, by hitting him square in the face by throwing the couch at him, followed by repeatedly kicking his face with her [[HurricaneKick Spinning Bird Kick]], then pushes him back down on the floor by stepping on his chest, so she could plant her barefoot on his cheek and perform a full pirouette on his face! And, yes, it's as awesome as it sounds (seen at [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggPU8L_4E1o 5:07-6:03).]]

* In RanpoKitanGameOfLaplace, 20 Faces serves this type of revenge. [[spoiler: He was once a morally right police officer who, after the horrific mutilation and murder of his sister, did the same to the one who did it. The twist in this case but not the rest of his murders was that 20 Faces kept the murderer alive.]]

* Played literally in ''Series/AmericanGothic''. Caleb Temple cites the trope to a doctor who poisoned Sheriff Buck. When we next see the doctor, he's choking to death from an overdose of pills that Caleb has somehow forced him to eat.

* In the Disney short, ''Disney/LonesomeGhosts'', a quarter of ghosts lure ghost exterminators Mickey, Donald, and Goofy to their abandoned mansion to scare them silly. When their antics end up getting the trio covered in molasses and floor, [[{{Irony}} they mistake them for ghosts, freak out and flee for the hills]].

'''Announcer 1''': ...What are you ''talking'' about, Bill?!\\

** King Diomedes fed his mares with human flesh; Heracles wrestled him into the mares' manger.

* In Myth/ClassicalMythology, Theseus encountered a bandit called Sinis who killed travellers by bending two pine trees and tying his victims between them. Theseus killed Sinis by binding him between his own pine trees. When he met another robber called Sciron who forced travellers to wash his feet and then kicked them over a cliff to be eaten by a monstrous turtle, Theseus fed him to his own turtle. Finally, he met a robber named Procrustes. Procrustes would invite weary travelers to spend the night but would always claim the bed was either too long or too short for his guest. If the bed was too short he would cut the traveller's limbs until they fit. If the bed was too long he would stretch his victim's limbs till they fit. And if the bed was just the right size he would secretly swap it for his ''other'' bed in order to cut or stretch the victim anyway. Theseus cut off his feet and head with his own saw.

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* One [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] comic sees {{Franchise/Superman}} travelling to the Fifth Dimension and using his powers to prank Mr. Mxyzptlk the same way Mxy normally pranks him, while Mxy (who's running for mayor of his hometown) desperately tries to send Supes back home.

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** In a villainous example, the League of Shadows burns down Wayne Manor towards the end of the film, in retaliation for Bruce blowing up their headquarters after he betrayed them. One of the League members involved comments "Justice is balance. You burned my home and left me for dead; consider us even."

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* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Krusty Towers," Mr. Krabs turns the Krusty Krab into the titular hotel, with the policy "We shall never deny a guest, even the most ridiculous request." Patrick becomes the first guest and makes multiple ridiculous and unreasonable requests; when Squidward complains, Mr. Krabs outright tells him that the policy ensures that Patrick can be as unreasonable as he wants. Eventually, Squidward gets sick of it and quits... only to return as a guest so he can force Mr. Krabs to fulfill ''his'' outrageous demands. However, when his antics go to far and end up hurting him , Mr. Karan's, Spongebob, and Patrick, Krabs ends up getting the last laugh when he sends the boys to medical school.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': [[GalacticConqueror Frieza's]] entire fighting style revolves around ColdBloodedTorture, physically overwhelming his enemies with his power and making sure that they die in pain and despair, knowing that [[HopeCrusher they never stood a chance against him]]. After Goku becomes a [[SuperMode Super Saiyan]], he spends most of the fight toying with and brutalizing Frieza just as Frieza had done to his victims, wanting to ensure that Frieza realized that even at full power, he never stood a chance against him. In the end, the ''only'' reason Goku tries to spare Frieza is because [[CruelMercy he felt that letting Frieza live with his pride ripped to shreds was a far worse punishment]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Krusty Towers," Mr. Krabs turns the Krusty Krab into the titular hotel, with the policy "We shall never deny a guest, even the most ridiculous request." Patrick becomes the first guest and makes multiple ridiculous and unreasonable requests; when Squidward complains, Mr. Krabs outright tells him that the policy ensures that Patrick can be as unreasonable as he wants. Eventually, Squidward gets sick of it and quits... only to return as a guest so he can force Mr. Krabs to fulfill ''his'' outrageous demands.

* In Myth/GreekMythology, Theseus encountered a bandit called Sinis who killed travellers by bending two pine trees and tying his victims between them. Theseus killed Sinis by binding him between his own pine trees. When he met another robber called Sciron who forced travellers to wash his feet and then kicked them over a cliff to be eaten by a monstrous turtle, Theseus fed him to his own turtle. Finally, he met a robber named Procrustes. Procrustes would invite weary travelers to spend the night but would always claim the bed was either too long or too short for his guest. If the bed was too short he would cut the traveller's limbs until they fit. If the bed was too long he would stretch his victim's limbs till they fit. And if the bed was just the right size he would secretly swap it for his ''other'' bed in order to cut or stretch the victim anyway. Theseus cut off his feet and head with his own saw.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': [[GalacticConqueror Frieza's]] entire fighting style revolves around ColdBloodedTorture, physically overwhelming his enemies with his power and making sure that they die in pain and despair, knowing that [[HopeCrusher they never had a chance against him]]. After Goku goes a [[SuperMode Super Saiyan]], he spends most of the fight toying with and brutalizing Frieza just as Frieza had done to his victims, wanting to ensure that Frieza realized that even at full power, he never stood a chance against a Super Saiyan. In the end, the ''only'' reason Goku tries to spare Frieza is because [[CruelMercy he felt that letting Frieza live with his pride ripped to shreds was a far worse punishment]].

Contrast HoistByTheirOwnPetard, which is where a character's bad actions lead ''directly'' to their downfall, with no second-party intervention. Often a form of PayEvilUntoEvil. An IronicHell is the extreme version of this, where the sinners are punished with being the victim of (or making them horrified with) whatever crime they've done before. Can overlap with LaserGuidedKarma if the character's fate is similar to that of his victims. See also WhosLaughingNow, which sometimes results from applying this trope.

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* ''Film/CatsEye'': In "The Ledge" segment, a crime boss with a fondness for gambling knows that his wife is having an affair with another man. He kidnaps the man and makes him an offer: if he successfully navigates the very tiny ledge outside his penthouse apartment, he gets his wife and a briefcase full of money; if not, he'll be framed for drug possession. The protagonist wins the bet after several close calls, only for the boss to [[spoiler:give him the money and [[DecapitationPresentation his wife's head]].]] This enrages him so much that he makes the boss the same offer to navigate the ledge in exchange for his life. He's not so lucky and falls to his death pretty quickly.

* During the climax of the first ''Film/{{Scream1996}}'' movie, Sidney escapes and hides from the ghost face killer[[spoiler:s, Billy and Stu]] and uses their own phone call games to taunt them that the police are on their way. [[VillainousBreakdown They don't take it well]].

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* In ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'', Tracy pretends not to know that Mike and Liz are reporters and grills them about their personal lives, just as they were planning to do to her.

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* In Myth/GreekMythology, Theseus encountered a bandit called Sinis who killed travellers by bending two pine trees and tying his victims between them. Theseus killed Sinis by binding him between his own pine trees. When he met another robber called Sciron who forced travellers to wash his feet and then kicked them over a cliff to be eaten by a monstrous turtle, Theseus fed him to his own turtle. Finally, he met a robber named Procrustes. Procrustes would invite weary travelers to spend the night but would always claim the bed was either too long or too short for his guest. If the bed was too short he would cut the traveller's limbs until they fit. If the bed was too long he would stretch his victim's limbs till they fit. And if the bed was just the right size he would secretly swap it for his ''other'' bed in order to cut or stretch the victim anyway. Theseus cut off his feet and head with his own saw.
* Literature/TheBible: Happens to the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:21-35. The servant has one of his colleagues thrown in jail for failing to repay a small debt. His master, outraged, throws ''him'' in jail, reasoning that if the servant can't show mercy to others, he deserves no mercy himself.

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* A frequent tactic used by face wrestlers when getting the upper hand on heels … using the same cheating tactics to wear down and/or defeat the Monster Heels and others, such as using a signature weapon or illegal move.
* Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon: One of his signature lines – "Turnabout is fair play" – was used when a face used a bad guy's weapon or cheating tactic against him.

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* Used regularly by ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' protagonists such as WesternAnimation/BugsBunny. Perhaps most directly in "WesternAnimation/RabbitFire", after Elmer Fudd spends the whole short hunting Bugs and WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck, a new poster reveals it is "Elmer Season", with a [[OhCrap very worried Elmer]] evading the two, now with hunting garb and rifles.

'''Homer''': Heh heh heh, Bullwinkle’s antler sprung a leak!\\
'''Announcer 2''': Uh-oh, looks like ol’ Bullwinkle’s finally gotten a taste of his own medicine!\\

'''Announcer 2''': Wait, what did… did what I just say make sense?\\

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': Selena decides to act overly flirtatious towards Laslow in their B Support to teach him a lesson about how women view his CasanovaWannabe behavior.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': Selena decides to act overly flirtatious towards Laslow in their B Support to teach him a lesson about how women view his behavior.